Building grit or better still, Fortifying grit in our kids and young adults. (Revised)

Don’t provoke kids to anger! You will get void, nothing, or sub-par engagement when they shut down and potentially build resentment.

Explain and demonstrate preparedness with emphasis on its importance.

Listen to them based on personality when deciding what they are committing to do. Outline the task, anchoring each part of the process to the first sign of wonder or highest value.

Pay attention to escaping behaviors, like change in tone when the topic is mentioned, avoidance, anxiety, procrastination and the most common whining.

Make sure that the kid has a strong why, specially in a value the family holds or you are trying to impart.

Get concrete verbal commitments with physical actions. Seal it with eye contact, writing it down, handshake, high five….. There agreement can be critical, so make sure you believe in what your asking of them for commitment. If it’s outside your wheelhouse, get understanding or find them a mentor.

Speak life to their gifts and talents, we constant belief and praise regarding their competence, gifts and talents. This can be an area where you can loose them. They are “reading your body language,” current words against previous ones said, including the ones that’s in their head. (Both negative and positive words and action)

Be present for them especially if you believe courage may be lacking. Presence and celebrating practice teaches them that it’s just as important as the day of the performance or test. This is where they learn to love processes just as much as outcomes. This may need some sort of anchoring for some. Try to let them know the process is for them. To develop and become… and the completed product is for the person in need. The one you may or may not know in need of help, joy, peace, love, kindness, a friend, rescue, protection, hope, a solution…..

Place a high value on creativity in your household, let every room burst with creativity over consumption. Art, music, (these two can seem like the most powerful because there ability to affect the atmosphere almost immediately through) the senses) inventiveness, problem analysis (pondering problems), solution mindedness, and opportunities to demonstrate mastery with others. This is an opportunity to discuss the love and passion you pour in to a project comes back to you by the joy it brings to others or the problems it solves for others.

Grit is absolutely beneficial when there are so many influences that try to get them to believe lies about who they are….. So you must tell the truth with love and help them find the “why” so their best will rise to the top. (Like yeast added to bread) This is one of the highest demonstrations of love when we pour the good that’s within us into a thing, service or belief.

Interpretation in my own words –

Grit – the hardened grain on sand paper, that through friction, is used to carve and mold the material, exposing the best characteristics that was trapped on the inside.

Thanks for reading. Hope this will at bare minimum, be able to spark a discussion about the things we need to get our kids expand the good character.

#kidstrive.

#Strive to expose the leader of the thing that each of us are responsible to bring into the world.